The ladies’s sport continues to develop by leaps and bounds, and towards the tip of one other monumental 12 months, it is solely becoming that ESPN FC Girls’s Rank, our rating of the highest 50 girls footballers on the planet, returns. As a lot as we noticed the ability steadiness change inside groups this 12 months, we noticed an entire lot of motion on our prime 50 participant listing, in addition to some new faces too.
We have carried out this rating for the previous three years (learn 2021, 2022 and 2023 right here) and the adjustments in our rating replicate the ever-evolving panorama of the game. There have been simply 4 People final time, and none within the prime 10 after a disastrous World Cup for the U.S. girls’s nationwide staff — however after claiming gold on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, eight American gamers have made our listing, together with three within the prime 10.
Unsurprisingly, 2023 World Cup winners Spain are nonetheless the leaders with 9 gamers on the listing, whereas there are six from France and World Cup runners-up England. In whole, 19 totally different nations are represented, together with gamers from Malawi and Zambia for the primary time.
In the case of their golf equipment, we have now 16 totally different groups represented. Barcelona paved the way with 11 gamers, with Chelsea (7) and Lyon (6) behind them. The NWSL additionally contributes 13 gamers from eight golf equipment in whole — with NJ/NY Gotham FC (3) having essentially the most.
Out of the total listing of gamers, there are 15 showing for the primary time — together with three from African nations — which simply goes to indicate how the expertise pool within the girls’s sport is deeper than it has ever been. Selecting simply 50 was harder than ever.
– Fan vote outcome for the most effective girls’s soccer participant of 2024!
ESPN FC Girls’s Rank methodology and voting panel defined
We polled 18 girls’s soccer consultants from world wide. Present and former coaches for top-tier golf equipment groups or nationwide groups, common managers, directors and journalists had been requested to anonymously choose their prime 50 gamers of 2024. Utilizing a ranked poll, every No. 1 vote was price 50 factors, and every No. 50 vote was price one level. On the finish, we tallied up the factors to get our listing.
Whereas our 2023 rating was a runaway for final 12 months’s No. 1, Aitana Bonmatí, as she was chosen No. 1 on practically each poll, this 12 months was way more aggressive: Seven totally different gamers landed at No. 1 on the ballots of no less than one voter in our panel.
This listing covers the 2024 calendar 12 months, which suggests you may not see some gamers who spent a lot of the 12 months sidelined. Certainly, we excluded choices to vote for the likes of Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Actual Madrid’s Caroline Weir on account of their long-term accidents.
Right here is that this 12 months’s listing of voters: Vlatko Andonovski, Kansas Metropolis Present head coach and former U.S. nationwide staff head coach; Denise Reddy, U.S. nationwide staff assistant coach; Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea head coach; Randy Waldrum, Nigeria head coach and former Houston Sprint head coach; Lluis Cortes, Saudi Arabia head coach and former Barcelona head coach; Carmelina Moscato, assistant Racing Louisville coach and former Tigres UANL head coach; Hayley Carter, Orlando Satisfaction common supervisor; Tanya Oxtoby, Northern Eire nationwide staff head coach; Esther Appiah-Fei, analyst specializing in African soccer; Natalia Astrain, analyst and former U.S. youth nationwide staff head coach; Moya Dodd, World Leagues Discussion board adviser and former FIFA government; Tom Garry, girls’s soccer journalist for The Guardian; Amanda Zaza, girls’s soccer journalist for SVT in Sweden; Cintia Barlem, girls’s soccer journalist for TV Globo in Brazil; Sophie Lawson, ESPN girls’s soccer author; Emily Keogh, ESPN journalist; Jeff Kassouf, ESPN journalist; Caitlin Murray, ESPN editor.
The Record
Now that you understand how we arrived at our prime 50 gamers, it is time to undergo all of them one after the other. We current to you: ESPN FC Girls’s Rank for 2024. (All stats compiled by ESPN Analysis.)
Nation: Spain
Membership: NJ/NY Gotham FC
Age: 31
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Esther arrived at Gotham final summer season recent off a World Cup title with Spain, then helped ship a primary NWSL trophy to the membership. Her understanding of the sport permits her to shift between roles even within the run of play — she’s a No. 9 who cannot solely drop into the No. 10 area, however who’s completely satisfied to sit down in entrance of her middle backs if it means getting on the ball. Her influence will be nearly rapid and inside 10 minutes of coming off the bench in a current match for Gotham, she assisted a purpose and scored two extra to show a good contest right into a blowout. — Jeff Kassouf
Stat to know: Esther has had 15 purpose contributions (11 targets, 4 assists) within the NWSL since becoming a member of Gotham final season. That is tied for essentially the most on the staff with Lynn Williams, regardless of taking part in 9 fewer video games in that span.
Nation: Germany
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 23
Place: Central midfielder/Striker
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Few can match Nüsken’s versatility — simply ask her outdated supervisor at Chelsea, Emma Hayes. “I believe she’ll be a prime No. 6, a prime No. 8, a prime middle again, no drawback,” Hayes stated. “I see her someplace between the No. 8 and No. 10 place — it is the purpose menace. She’s very good within the air, very good within the sort out, sensible stretching [the opposition] in behind. She fills areas very well and is an efficient decision-maker.” Hayes then joked about how she’d attempt her out in purpose.
Nüsken has chipped in with key targets for Chelsea and likewise helped Germany to the bronze medal in the summertime Olympics. At a time the place Germany are going by means of a transitional section — with Svenja Huth, Melanie Leupolz and Alexandra Popp all retiring — Nüsken is the current and way forward for each her membership and nation. — Tom Hamilton
Stat to know: Her eight targets within the WSL final season was third finest amongst Chelsea’s squad, whereas she additionally ranked within the prime 5 in interceptions, touches, tackles received/misplaced and clearances in league play in 2023-24.
Nation: France
Membership: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 27
Place: Central midfielder
2023 rank: 38 (▼ down 10 spots)
Geyoro has spent her complete profession with PSG, becoming a member of the youth setup in 2012. Now the staff’s captain, the box-to-box midfielder can at instances fly below the radar, however when she’s at her finest she orchestrates issues from the center of the pitch and is a constant presence. A scarcity of silverware (one league title, three Coupe de France trophies) is unlucky for a participant of her class and comes from Lyon ruling the roost in France lately. — Sophie Lawson
Stat to know: Her 11 targets in France’s Première Ligue final season was tied for third most, whereas her 14 targets within the league because the begin of final season is tied for second most in that span behind Tabitha Chawinga (19).
Nation: Norway
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 26
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
With fierce competitors for a spot in Barcelona’s midfield, Engen had usually struggled to keep up a spot within the staff, however she excelled as a transformed middle again final season. A season-ending damage to Mapi Leon propelled the Norwegian into the staff and she or he did not look misplaced because the Catalan aspect received all 4 trophies accessible to them. Alongside Irene Paredes, the spotlight was conserving a clear sheet within the Champions League in opposition to Lyon, the French large whom Barça had by no means beforehand overwhelmed. — Sam Marsden
Stat to know: Because the begin of final Liga F season, Engen has a 94% cross completion share, which is the most effective within the league.
Nation: France
Membership: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 28
Place: Left again/Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Since her transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Karchaoui has taken her sport to a brand new degree and has persistently been among the finest performers for Les Parisiennes. A pure attacking participant, she has developed from fullback to wing again to winger and, when taking part in in a extra superior place, she’s going to naturally drop again and assist defend when wanted. Her adaptability has additionally helped in a France nationwide staff that’s already wealthy in choices at left again and she or he has grow to be one thing of a blueprint for the trendy fullback. — Lawson
Stat to know: Karchaoui leads PSG with 20 interceptions within the 2023-24 Champions League, third most within the event.
Nation: Brazil
Membership: Houston Sprint
Age: 21
Place: Defender
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Virtually nothing went proper for the Houston Sprint this 12 months, however the NWSL bottom-dwellers did draw envy from different golf equipment once they signed Brazilian defender Tarciane from Corinthians in April. Her top makes her an asset for membership and nation on set items, and she or he is thought for arduous, (largely) well-timed tackles in open play. At 21, she nonetheless requires progress in consistency and decision-making, however she appears to be like like Brazil’s long-term reply in protection. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Tarciane scored three targets within the 2024 SheBelieves Cup as Brazil defeated Japan on penalties to complete third, and she or he performed within the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup last defeat to the USWNT.
Nation: United States
Membership: NJ/NY Gotham FC
Age: 29
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: 47 (▲ up 3 spots)
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes lately referred to as Lavelle the “cultured footballer” — for her creativity and imaginative and prescient — who first involves thoughts in worldwide circles from her play as a part of the U.S. squad. For years, the USWNT had no person in a position to play the No. 10 position, though gamers reminiscent of Jaedyn Shaw have since helped evolve the participant pool. Lavelle hit 100 worldwide caps this 12 months because the People received the Olympics. She is finest generally known as a No. 10, however she additionally handles herself simply high quality in large areas — and she or he may be finest utilized as a deeper, playmaking No. 8. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Lavelle has 16 assists for the USWNT in all competitions since 2020, essentially the most within the staff in the course of the span.
Nation: Denmark
Membership: Bayern Munich
Age: 31
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
Tougher was fifth on the 2022 listing however missed out final 12 months due to accidents after becoming a member of Bayern Munich from Chelsea. Nonetheless among the finest gamers ever, she has received a league title in each season she has performed since 2013, spanning 4 golf equipment in three nations. Her listing of particular person accolades is huge and reflective of her unimaginable ability, whereas she possesses an intrinsic capability to raise the golf equipment she performs for to new heights.
Her motion and talent to interrupt defensive traces with key passes create a components for fulfillment, however it’s her imaginative and prescient and technical capability that make her stand out. “Even when she is at lower than 100%, you’re feeling her presence,” former Wolfsburg coach Stephan Lerch stated. “If you happen to’re in a sport and want one second to make the distinction, she’s the participant for it, it doesn’t matter what situation she is in.” — Emily Keogh
Stat to know: Tougher’s 13 targets and 27 pictures heading in the right direction (in 21 league begins) since becoming a member of Bayern Munich final season are each sixth most within the German Frauen-Bundesliga over that span.
2:43
Krieger: Champions League shot provides WSL edge on luring prime gamers
Ali Krieger reacts to the WSL having essentially the most gamers on the ESPN FC Girls’s Rank, narrowly beating the NWSL and Spain’s Liga F.
Nation: England
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 31
Place: Middle again
2023 Rank: 18 (▼ 24)
Although Vivid stays considered one of England’s most necessary gamers and membership captain of Chelsea, the veteran defender has had to deal with a knee damage that sidelined her in the beginning of the 12 months. Now returned to full health, she is as key as ever. She is a talismanic chief and a towering presence on the coronary heart of the protection. “She’s such an excellent athlete, but additionally such an excellent particular person,” Chelsea supervisor Sonia Bompastor stated. — Hamilton
Stat to know: Vivid ranks first among the many Chelsea squad this season for touches, duels received, blocks, and clearances from her six video games performed.
Nation: Canada
Membership: Lyon (mortgage from Angel Metropolis)
Age: 28
Place: Middle again
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Throughout Canada’s drone scandal in the course of the 2024 Olympics, Gilles stepped up on and off the pitch to rally the defending champions. Towards France, she slotted house to an empty internet to offer the staff momentum regardless of FIFA’s six-point penalty, and within the subsequent sport, she headed house the one purpose in opposition to Colombia to safe passage out of the group. Since arriving on mortgage from NWSL aspect Angel Metropolis in September 2022, Gilles has been key in Lyon’s again line, serving to steer the French champions to 2 home trophies and a Champions League last. — Keogh
Stat to know: Gilles has made a team-high 31 defensive interventions for Lyon within the Champions League this season.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 33
Place: Defender
2023 Rank: 49 (▲ 9)
Within the absence of her injured defensive companion Mapi Leon, Paredes’ significance on the coronary heart of Barça’s protection grew final season. With fullbacks taking part in excessive and a midfielder (Engen) alongside her, she was usually left to carry the backline collectively, contributing to wash sheets within the Champions League, Copa de la Reina and Spanish Supercopa finals. Paredes’ absence was observed when she did not play within the 4-4 draw at Benfica within the Champions League, which says lots. — Marsden
Stat to know: Paredes has made 79 interceptions within the UEFA Girls’s Champions League since 2016-17 — the second most throughout that span, behind Wendie Renard (82).
2:38
Which Irish legend would Katie McCabe cherished to have performed with?
ESPN sit down with Arsenal midfielder Katie McCabe to speak Irish legends, hardest opponents and extra.
Nation: Republic of Eire
Membership: Arsenal
Age: 29
Place: Defender/midfielder
2023 Rank: 24 (▼ 15)
Broadly thought to be one of the crucial versatile and relentless gamers within the WSL, McCabe has grow to be a pillar for Arsenal. Her grit and willpower make her a menace, she refuses to again down in any state of affairs, and she or he’s recognized for unleashing long-range strikes when her staff wants them most. Pressured to adapt to varied positions due to accidents within the squad, McCabe’s versatility has grow to be considered one of her defining strengths.
“I believe I’ve ended up asking her to play nearly all positions besides central defender, goalkeeper and No. 9,” stated former Arsenal supervisor Jonas Eidevall. “She at all times is available in and says ‘No drawback, I will play the place you want me to be.” — Keogh
Stat to know: McCabe has created the second-most possibilities within the Champions League this season (14).
Nation: Scotland
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 26
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Cuthbert has been Chelsea’s unsung hero for years and is heartbeat of the squad, anchoring the midfield together with her intelligence and grit. Whereas holding midfield is not a place that brings flashy targets or mazy dribbles, the Scotland worldwide has scored her share of screamers. But it surely’s her imaginative and prescient, tactical consciousness and relentless work charge that make her indispensable.
When Cuthbert is sidelined, Chelsea’s sport usually feels incomplete — a testomony to her affect in a staff overflowing with expertise. “Erin Cuthbert is among the finest gamers on the planet,” stated Emma Hayes, her former Chelsea supervisor. “She’s a prime, prime midfielder and deserves that credit score.” — Keogh
Stat to know: Cuthbert has created the second-most possibilities for Chelsea (13) within the Champions League because the begin of final season.
Nation: Norway
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 30
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 36 (▼ 1)
Since becoming a member of Chelsea in 2019, Reiten has been a cornerstone of the staff, showcasing her electrifying tempo, drive and technical prowess. The Norway worldwide has continued to raise her sport, persistently delivering each targets and assists, and at her best she is ruthless, exact and selfless.
Former Chelsea boss Hayes praised her consistency final season, whereas Reiten herself confirmed that she is keen to place the staff first when she stated in the beginning of the marketing campaign: “No matter Sonia [Bompastor] desires me to do, I will do it finest I can!” — Keogh
Stat to know: Reiten performed 16 WSL video games final season for Chelsea, scoring seven targets and offering 5 assists with an xG, or anticipated targets, of 6.2.
Nation: Sweden
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 30
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 7 (▼ 29)
Sweden worldwide Rolfö drops 29 spots, and out of the highest 10, after lacking the vast majority of final season recovering from knee surgical procedure. She returned to motion in March, scoring in her first sport again, and went on to assist Barça win the Champions League. She scored a penalty within the semifinal win over Chelsea and began the ultimate in opposition to Lyon. In whole, she nonetheless managed a formidable seven targets in 15 video games — regardless of a lot of her appearances coming as a left again. — Marsden
Stat to know: Rolfö’s 13 targets within the Champions League since 2018-19, taking part in for Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Barcelona, are essentially the most scored by a defender in that span.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Actual Madrid
Age: 24
Place: Left again
2023 rank: 10 (▼ 25)
Carmona scored the one purpose of the 2023 World Cup last in opposition to England to cement her standing as a hero in Spain, and she or he has continued to shine for Actual Madrid since returning to membership duties. Having inherited the captain’s armband from Ivana Andrés this season, the younger defender has matured, main her staff from the backline and routinely popping up with targets.
Adept at taking part in in a large midfield or wing-back position, Carmona is at her finest when she has free reign of the left aspect of the pitch so as to add additional firepower to the assault. — Lawson
Stat to know: With 1.77 profitable take-ons per 90 minutes, Carmona is within the 99th percentile in her place, and she or he additionally manages 1.48 pictures per sport.
Nation: United States
Membership: Arsenal
Age: 26
Place: Proper again
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Fox’s journey from the U.S. to the WSL has been outstanding, and she or he is simply simply starting to showcase her expertise. Since shifting to Arsenal from the NWSL’s North Carolina Braveness in January, she has tailored to the English league with ease, shortly establishing herself as among the finest proper backs on the planet. With an Olympic gold medal below her belt for the USWNT and a rising assortment of Participant of the Match honors for her membership, she’s proving to be a drive to be reckoned with.
“She’s at all times been actually pushed,” Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo stated. “Now to play together with her right here at Arsenal is nice. She’s a prime participant, she’s an athlete and she or he works actually arduous, and she or he’s an actual asset.” — Keogh
Stat to know: Fox made a team-leading 21 appearances for the USWNT in 2024, together with beginning all six matches on the Olympics.
Nation: England
Membership: Manchester Metropolis
Age: 24
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 22 (▼ 11)
Hemp was considered one of three England stars who made the Ballon d’Or shortlist and has made an excellent begin to the 2024-25 season for Man Metropolis, usually proving to be the catalyst behind the staff’s fightbacks. Within the area of a single week in October, the winger helped Metropolis come from behind to beat Liverpool, St. Polten and Aston Villa.
Towards Villa she scored the equalizer, then teed up the winner for Jill Roord. Afterward, Metropolis supervisor Gareth Taylor described her as a “position mannequin,” whereas Metropolis striker Khadija Shaw summed up precisely what makes her teammate so good, saying: “She is a grafter and she or he buzzes across the pitch. She is an unbelievable participant. I like taking part in together with her. I get pleasure from it day by day. The sky is the restrict.” — Hamilton
Stat to know: Hemp leads the WSL because the begin of final season with 10 assists.
Nation: England
Membership: Manchester Metropolis
Age: 31
Place: Middle again/Left again
2023 Rank: 50 (▲ 18)
Greenwood took on the captaincy of Manchester Metropolis this 12 months from Steph Houghton, with supervisor Gareth Taylor saying she is somebody who embodies “the whole lot they do” on the WSL membership. Whereas on the worldwide stage, she has continued to be a significant cog within the England squad, proving equally adept at taking part in left again or middle again. Her distribution stays second to none, she had extra touches (2,154) than some other WSL participant final season and she or he made extra distance carrying the ball too (6,712 meters), too. — Hamilton
Stat to know: Greenwood’s 91.3% cross completion share within the Champions League this season is fifteenth highest of any participant. However of the opposite 14 gamers forward of her, just one is older: Wolfsburg’s Kathrin Hendrich, 32.
Nation: France
Membership: Lyon
Age: 23
Place: Defender
2023 rank: N/A (★ debut)
Bacha made her declare for the left again spot after breaking into Lyon’s first staff seven years in the past as a youngster, and though she was typically benched final season in favor of compatriot Perle Morroni, she stays a dependable and tidy defender who can create possibilities in assault from her glorious crosses into the field.
At present sidelined after sustaining an ankle surgical procedure over the summer season, Bacha will face stiff competitors to get again into the beginning XI from summer season signing Sofie Svava when she returns to full health. — Lawson
Stat to know: With 10 assists within the Champions League since 2021-22, Bacha has essentially the most in that span by any participant aged 25 or youthful.
Nation: United States
Membership: Chicago Pink Stars
Age: 36
Place: Goalkeeper
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Naeher is as cool as they arrive in a shootout: Twice in 34 days earlier this 12 months, Naeher saved three penalty kicks, and she or he transformed one for the USWNT in opposition to Canada. From the star-jump toe save within the dying seconds of additional time within the Olympic semifinal, to the one-handed palm swat in stoppage time of the ultimate, she reminded the world in Paris why she’s so clutch. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Naeher has made three penalty saves within the NWSL this 12 months, second solely to the Washington Spirit’s Aubrey Kingsbury (4).
Nation: France
Membership: San Diego Wave FC
Age: 27
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
End up a winger who can do absolutely anything, and also you might need discovered Cascarino. Lyon followers already knew that concerning the France worldwide: She was a part of the staff’s six most up-to-date Champions League-winning campaigns earlier than transferring to the San Diego Wave in the summertime window.
She made an on the spot influence for a Wave staff that struggled to generate scoring alternatives earlier within the 12 months. Cascarino is flexible sufficient to play in a number of roles on the wing, and she or he will probably be key to no matter a struggling San Diego franchise does subsequent. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Cascarino is averaging a team-high 0.42 assists per 90 minutes for San Diego Wave within the NWSL this 12 months.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 20
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 5 (▼ 18)
Paralluelo’s exploits on the World Cup noticed her end fifth final 12 months, however she has dropped down this 12 months’s rank regardless of doing effectively at Barcelona. Enjoying from the left or as a No. 9, the Spain ahead scored 20 targets in 19 Liga F video games as Barça received the title. Solely Caroline Graham Hansen scored extra.
In whole, Paralluelo netted 34 targets in 36 appearances throughout all competitions as Barça received all 4 trophies accessible to them. That earned her a spot on the Ballon d’Or podium, alongside teammates Graham Hansen and Aitana Bonmatí, for the second 12 months operating. There may be perception throughout the membership that she might sooner or later win the award. — Marsden
Stat to know: Paralluelo is just one of two gamers within the Spanish Liga F with 20 targets because the begin of final season; teammate Graham Hansen is the opposite.
Nation: England
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 33
Place: Proper again
2023 Rank: 23 (▼ 4)
The 33-year-old defender has grow to be synonymous with the suitable aspect of England’s protection and has excelled at membership degree with Manchester Metropolis, Lyon, Barcelona and now Chelsea. Her sturdiness is astonishing, and her opponents have needed to make tactical plans to forestall her marauding runs down the suitable.
When Chelsea introduced her arrival in the summertime, they twice used the phrase “serial winner,” and you’ll see why — her listing of accolades contains 5 Champions League titles. However she’s exhibiting no indicators of slowing down, and now, reunited with former Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor, she is hoping a transfer again to the WSL will assist delay her profession. — Hamilton
Stat to know: Bronze’s 5 assists are essentially the most by an English participant up to now three seasons of the Champions League.
1:30
Banda: Dream come to true play alongside ‘GOAT’ Marta
Barbra Banda speaks about taking part in with Marta and displays on her season with Orlando Satisfaction.
Nation: Brazil
Membership: Orlando Satisfaction
Age: 38
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
The rejuvenation of Marta at 38 years outdated is quietly one of many tales of the 12 months after she was not on our listing in 2023 and 2022. The six-time world participant of the 12 months caught it out in Orlando by means of years of turmoil with the Satisfaction to raise her first NWSL trophy, the Protect, this fall.
She’s not the participant who can tackle 5 defenders without delay, however her superior imaginative and prescient stays, and in 2024 the technical execution that seemed to be fading was again with vigor. Marta performed as if she had been 10 years youthful, and Orlando benefited. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Marta is tied with Trinity Rodman for the third-most possibilities created within the NWSL in 2024 with 46.
Nation: Germany
Membership: NJ/NY Gotham FC
Age: 34
Place: Goalkeeper
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Berger ranks as ESPN’s finest girls’s goalkeeper on the planet for her capability to each make jaw-dropping saves and be the primary line of assault. This season, she made an on the spot influence with NJ/NY Gotham FC and led the NWSL in post-shot anticipated targets minus targets allowed, in response to FBRef, a measurement of shot stopping effectivity. Berger proved her worth for Germany once more on the Olympics within the staff’s bronze-medal run. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Berger leads the NWSL this season with 8.26 targets prevented, the third highest in a single season since 2022.
Nation: France
Membership: Paris Saint-Germain
Age: 26
Place: Striker
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
Katoto completed seventh in ESPN’s 2022 listing however sustained an ACL damage that noticed her sit out final season, solely returning to type this 12 months. Identified for her sharp instincts and playmaking capability, she has persistently been a nightmare for defenses, scoring 35 targets in 45 appearances for France and over 120 instances for PSG since 2014. The striker has firmly reestablished herself among the many world’s elite and, final month, she earned a spot within the Ballon d’Or rating. — Keogh
Stat to know: Katoto is considered one of three gamers to have 70-plus purpose contributions in France’s Première Ligue since 2020-21, alongside Clara Mateo and Kadidiatou Diani.
Nation: Colombia
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 25
Place: Striker
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Ramirez briefly set the ladies’s world switch file when Chelsea signed her from Levante for an preliminary €450,000 in January 2024. And as if that wasn’t sufficient to reside as much as, she had the added expectation of filling in for injured Sam Kerr, which she did with aplomb on the best way to final season’s WSL title.
The Colombia worldwide is a robust striker who can muscle her well past defenders, however in addition to being ruthless in entrance of purpose she possesses the power to carry the ball up, flip and dash behind the line of defense. She has scored some sensible targets — like her outrageous overhead effort in opposition to Arsenal in October — and ended up twenty first within the Ballon d’Or voting, although she ought to rank larger subsequent 12 months. — Hamilton
Stat to know: Ramirez leads the WSL this season with 5 goal-creating actions.
Nation: Poland
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 27
Place: Ahead
2023 rank: 42 (▲ 20)
There are few gamers on the planet who’re as deadly in entrance of purpose because the Poland striker. Pajor constructed her profession in a nine-year spell at German giants VfL Wolfsburg, the place she bagged 95 targets in 114 league video games earlier than making a €400,000 change to Barcelona this summer season.
In doing so, the striker turned the eighth most-expensive signing of all time in girls’s soccer (tied with Barcelona teammate Kika Nazareth), however she is proving worth for cash as she has scored 9 instances in her first seven league video games for the Catalans. — Lawson
Stat to know: Pajor leads Barcelona in pictures heading in the right direction (5) within the Champions League this season.
Nation: Haiti
Membership: Lyon
Age: 21
Place: Ahead
2023 rank: 37 (▲ 16)
Dumornay burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old prodigy earlier than transferring to Reims after which European giants Lyon. She was topped the ladies’s 2024 Concacaf Participant of the Yr, beating out the likes of USWNT star Sophia Smith, Jamaica’s Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, and Mexico’s Lizbeth Ovalle.
Dumornay has gone from energy to energy since leaving her native Haiti in 2021 however solely actually introduced herself to the broader footballing world with some eye-catching performances for her nation on the 2023 World Cup. A conduit by means of which a lot of her staff’s finest play flows, she has hit her stride below new Lyon boss Joe Montemurro with 4 targets in 4 appearances within the league on the time of writing. — Lawson
Stat to know: Dumornay scored 9 targets in 20 appearances from midfield throughout all competitions with Lyon final season.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 25
Place: Proper again
2023 Rank: 25 (▲ 5)
Batlle started her profession at Barcelona however did not make the breakthrough earlier than spells at Madrid CFF, Levante after which Manchester United. Now again at her first membership, final season was one to recollect as she effortlessly switched between the left and proper aspect of the protection because the Blaugrana received the quadruple. She spent a lot of the season flying ahead from left again, on account of Fridolina Rölfo’s damage, but additionally performed some video games on the suitable, which she would contemplate her extra pure place.
Rölfo’s return noticed Batlle left on the bench within the Champions League last, however she shortly bounced again from that disappointment and is now Barça’s first selection proper again following Lucy Bronze’s return to England. — Marsden
Stat to know: Within the 2023-24 Champions League, Batlle put within the third-most profitable tackles within the competitors (22).
Nation: Malawi
Membership: Kansas Metropolis Present
Age: 26
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
How does a participant go from unranked final 12 months to so excessive on the listing? Solely by the easy feat of breaking the single-season NWSL scoring file as soon as regarded as untouchable in her first season within the league. Chawinga scored 20 targets this NWSL season, smashing Sam Kerr’s file of 18 targets in 2019, and likewise turned the primary participant in NWSL historical past to attain in opposition to all 13 different groups in a single season.
Sure, Chawinga’s velocity is spectacular, nevertheless it’s the best way she makes use of it: getting in behind defenses to latch onto a by means of ball, dribbling previous helpless defenders, and even monitoring again to assist on the wing. She is the youthful and (thus far) less-famous sister to Tabitha, who performs for Lyon. However with extra seasons like this, that can quickly change. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Chawinga leads the 2024 NWSL with 26 purpose contributions (20 targets, six assists).
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 26
Place: Central midfielder/Middle again
2023 Rank: 16 (▼ 2)
Guijarro’s versatility means she usually performs totally different roles in Barça’s staff, from middle again to ahead. When Keira Walsh performs in midfield, Guijarro can take the brakes off and step ahead extra — she scored 10 targets final season. She will be able to additionally play a deeper position, breaking apart play and beginning assaults, whereas she has even been used as a defender. In a aspect stacked with attacking expertise, she stays one of many sport’s extra underrated gamers. — Marsden
Stat to know: Guijarro has scored the third-most targets (eight) in Champions League for Barcelona since 2022-23, together with two within the 2023 last vs. Wolfsburg the place she earned participant of the match.
Nation: United States
Membership: Lyon
Age: 30
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: 29 (▲ 12)
Horan captained the USWNT to the Olympic gold medal final summer season, and she will play the Nos. 6, 8 or 10 roles in midfield. Her finest work, nevertheless, is finished as an attacking midfielder who can faucet into the abilities of her early position as a striker when she went to PSG as a youngster. Horan is harmful as a goal on set items for each Lyon and the USWNT. She is incessantly thought to be one of many USWNT’s most tactically astute gamers. — Kassouf
Stat to know: With 4 purpose contributions in 5 matches for the USWNT on the Concacaf W Gold Cup, Horan helped her aspect win the title.
Nation: France
Membership: Lyon
Age: 29
Place Ahead
2023 rank: 12 (▼ 4)
Diani made her league debut for Paris FC (then referred to as Juvisy) at age 15 in January 2011 and has spent all 15 years of her profession within the French Première Ligue. But regardless of being one of many extra senior gamers round, there’s a youthful exuberance in how she dribbles round defenders to arrange her teammates.
With velocity and ability, Diani stands out from her common position on the suitable aspect of assault, though she’s additionally adept at main the road as a No. 9 striker too — as her 82 targets throughout the final eight seasons can attest. A participant whose contributions off the ball can usually be missed, she stays a key a part of the assault for each France and Lyon. — Lawson
Stat to know: Diani is tied for the second-most targets scored (16) within the Champions League since 2016-17.
Nation: United States
Membership: Chicago Pink Stars
Age: 26
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
Swanson was arguably the most effective participant on the planet when she was damage in April 2023, a knee damage that compelled her to sit down out the 2023 World Cup and our 2023 rating. She returned to the sector in early 2024 and largely picked up the place she left off in her two earlier years of unimaginable type for the Chicago Pink Stars and USWNT, occurring to attain the successful purpose within the Olympic gold-medal match. Swanson is a participant who requires freedom as a winger to chop inside or roam as a No. 10. Merely put, she modifies video games when she will get on the ball. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Swanson is tied with Sophia Smith for many targets scored (14) with the USWNT since 2023 in all competitions.
Nation: Japan
Membership: Manchester Metropolis
Age: 27
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: 44 (▲ 30)
Hasegawa possesses an unrivalled capability to manage the tempo and tempo of a match, and Manchester Metropolis supervisor Gareth Taylor insists she is among the finest holding midfielders on the planet. “She’s so clever and her stature goes in opposition to the grain, she’s among the finest ball recoverees within the sport,” he stated final 12 months. “I name her the assister of the assister. She’s the cog within the wheel that units off the chance.”
Rightly taking an enormous leap from final 12 months’s vote, the Japan worldwide completed twenty sixth within the 2024 Ballon d’Or rating. — Hamilton
Stat to know: Hasegawa has accomplished essentially the most passes by any midfielder within the WSL because the begin of final season; her 90% cross completion charge can be the very best of all WSL midfielders in that span.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 30
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
After she completed No. 1 on FC Girls’s Rank in 2022, she missed out fully final 12 months when an ACL damage sidelined her on the eve of Euro 2022, forcing her to sit down out the vast majority of the season. However the two-time Ballon d’Or winner — referred to as “The Queen of Barcelona” by former teammate Lucy Bronze — has made a triumphant return.
Putellas has collected a handful of silverware — a World Cup, Champions League, and Liga F title — exhibiting the world why she’s nonetheless thought-about soccer royalty. Certainly, she scored from off the bench within the 2024 Champions League last in opposition to Lyon to cement her return to the continental stage. With six targets in her first seven matches this season, Putellas has reminded us all why she is among the most medical and dependable gamers within the sport. — Keogh
Stat to know: Putellas is tied for many targets (16) for Barcelona within the Champions League since 2016-17, and has the second-most throughout that span behind Pernille Tougher (18).
Nation: Malawi
Membership: Lyon
Age: 28
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
Chawinga has really had a breakout season. The previous Wuhan Jianghan College ahead stormed onto the scene with a stellar mortgage spell at PSG that noticed her internet 19 targets in 21 video games, earlier than eight-time European champions Lyon signed her this summer season.
Final season, she turned the primary Malawian to play and rating (5 targets and two assists) within the UEFA Girls’s Champions League. Moreover, her outstanding performances earned her a spot among the many elite names on the Ballon d’Or shortlist (the place she completed sixteenth out of 30), a spot within the Champions League Workforce of the Season, and the D1 Arkema Participant of the Yr title in France. — Keogh
Stat to know: Her 31 purpose contributions because the begin of final season are essentially the most within the French league in that span: 19 targets (first), 12 assists (tied-first).
Nation: Colombia
Membership: Actual Madrid
Age: 19
Place: Ahead
2023 rank: 4 (▼ 7)
A participant who boasts aptitude and sophistication on the ball, Caicedo is extra more likely to help within the build-up to purpose relatively than rating herself, however she can be able to find the web from distance when required. It is arduous to consider that she continues to be solely 19 years outdated.
The Colombia attacker first turned heads on the 2023 World Cup, a staggering feat when you think about that simply three years prior she was present process therapy for ovarian most cancers, and has continued to impress at Actual Madrid. There may be nonetheless a lot to return from her, although Madrid’s failure to problem Barcelona might account for her drop from final 12 months’s fourth spot. — Lawson
Stat to know: {The teenager} has already accomplished 45 one-vs.-one dribbles for Colombia in all competitions since 2022, essentially the most on the staff throughout that interval.
1:56
USWNT’s Girma excited to be recognised by ESPN FC Girls’s Rank
Naomi Girma displays on being named at No. 2 on ESPN FC Girls’s Rank.
Nation: England
Membership: Chelsea
Age: 23
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 11 (▲ 1)
James has grow to be a star for England and Chelsea, bettering her medical ending and skilled hold-up play to grow to be among the finest forwards within the sport. Although she has struggled with minor accidents, on the pitch she exudes confidence and her direct fashion has seen her develop right into a key participant for each membership and nation, regardless of not that includes for England since April.
Former Chelsea supervisor Emma Hayes described the 22-year-old as “maverick” and stated “it is a playground for her on the market,” after the ahead’s efficiency in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal final season. — Keogh
Stat to know: James has seven purpose contributions (three targets and 4 assists) in her previous six matches with England, whereas she had two purpose contributions in her earlier 10.
Nation: England
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 27
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: 17 (▲ 8)
As soon as the world’s costliest participant when she moved to Barcelona from Manchester Metropolis for €400,000 in 2022, Walsh is considered one of Europe’s best midfielders. Her consistency and intelligence have made her undroppable for membership and nation, whereas her capability to manage the tempo, break up opposition play and ship pinpoint passes, units the usual for contemporary defensive midfielders.
Again and again, Walsh proves why she is the benchmark for the place. Her imaginative and prescient, calmness, and tactical consciousness elevate her amongst her friends, whereas former Barcelona supervisor Jonatan Giráldez has beforehand described her as “particular.” — Keogh
Stat to know: Walsh’s 92.47% profitable cross share is the very best of any Barcelona participant with no less than 5 video games performed within the Champions League since her arrival in 2022.
Nation: United States
Membership: Washington Spirit
Age: 22
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ reentry)
Rodman is essentially the most dynamic and entertaining participant within the USWNT pool. She performs audacious acts so often that she makes them look informal, whether or not it’s the “Trin Spin” flip she often executes (usually with a nutmeg for added insult) or a marvel purpose just like the one she scored in opposition to Japan in further time of the 2024 Olympic quarterfinal.
Rodman was the one participant to look in each match for the USWNT from the beginning of 2023 till October 2024 when she sat out the coaching camp to rehab a again damage. Amid an enormous teaching shakeup and important roster turnover, Rodman was the fixed for the USWNT and, after touchdown at No. 33 in 2022 and lacking our listing in 2023, she’s again within the prime 10.
She additionally continued to mild up the NWSL together with her distinctive play on the wings for the Washington Spirit. Give Rodman an excessive amount of area to dribble as a defender, and you may remorse it. Get too shut and you may most likely be nutmegged. Lose sight of her for only a second and she or he’ll discover the area to take advantage of. Oh, and she or he’s a celebrity who usually tracks again defensively to cowl for her fullbacks. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Rodman has the fifth-most purpose contributions in NWSL in 2024 with 14.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Arsenal
Age: 28
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 30 (▲ 23)
Caldentey has made successful silverware appear routine in current seasons. From lifting the World Cup with Spain in 2023, to securing three Champions League titles with Barcelona (2021, 2023, 2024) in 4 years, her dominance has been simple throughout the very best ranges of soccer. Final season she performed a key position in Barcelona’s unprecedented quadruple, earlier than opting to make a high-profile transfer to Arsenal. And her meteoric rise is mirrored in a leap from thirtieth in final 12 months’s rankings.
What units Caldentey aside is just not her particular person brilliance however her capability to raise the performances of these round her. She persistently makes the gamers round her higher, which is a uncommon and invaluable trait. Now, on the peak of her profession, she is poised to be a vital determine for Arsenal. — Keogh
Stat to know: The 89 possibilities she has created within the Champions League since 2016-17 is simply behind Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen (119) and Lyon’s Selma Bacha (90).
Nation: Jamaica
Membership: Manchester Metropolis
Age: 28
Place: Striker
2023 Rank: 32 (▲ 26)
If there’s one participant who unquestionably deserves a spot among the many elite, it is Shaw. With 53 WSL targets in 62 video games since shifting to Metropolis in 2021, the Jamaica striker has established herself as one of the crucial prolific purpose scorers in Europe and her rise has been unimaginable.
Final season, Shaw’s relentless drive and pure goal-scoring intuition noticed her declare the WSL Golden Boot with 21 targets, one shy of the league file, and what makes that achievement much more outstanding is that she sat out the ultimate three video games due to damage. However her affect additionally extends past targets as the point of interest of Metropolis’s assault, together with her energy, intelligence and imaginative and prescient permitting her to create constant alternatives for her teammates to shine. — Keogh
Stat to know: Shaw leads Jamaica with 27 targets in all competitions since 2018. No different participant has scored greater than 12.
Nation: United States
Membership: Portland Thorns
Age: 24
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 13 (▲ 8)
Smith is the kind of participant who can change a sport on her personal. Greatest utilized as a No. 9, she bought that chance on the 2024 Olympics, the place she thrived, scoring three targets, together with the winner within the semifinal.
Typically, Smith’s singular expertise was the one reply the Portland Thorns had amid a comparatively poor 2024 season at a staff degree. She was the top-scoring American within the NWSL once more this season, and she or he discovered methods to get entangled in video games from each central and large areas whereas additionally shaking off typically tough play from opponents.
Smith is the uncommon kind of participant who gives the look of being sooner with the ball at her toes, a ahead who can carve up a number of defenders with one transfer. This 12 months, she has additional developed the power to attain in tight areas and below shut strain from defenders. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Smith is tied for the third-most assists within the NWSL in 2024 with six.
Nation: Norway
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 28
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: 15 (▲ 11)
It feels as if Graham Hansen is lastly receiving the popularity she has deserved for a very long time, and 4 of our voters picked her as their No. 1 selection. As one of the crucial inventive and medical forwards on the planet, the 28-year-old has usually flown below the radar in a Barcelona staff stacked with world-class expertise. However final season she made her mark with over 40 purpose contributions for her membership, together with 21 targets in 25 Liga F matches.
Her unimaginable 12 months earned her a first-time nomination for the Ballon d’Or, the place she completed second — an astonishing achievement for a debutant — and it is no shock that she now persistently ranks among the many prime 10 gamers on the planet. Her former teammate Ella Masa says she is “one of many uncommon ones” in world soccer. — Keogh
Stat to know: Graham Hansen leads the Champions League with 28 large possibilities created since 2016-17, and no different participant has greater than 16.
Nation: Zambia
Membership: Orlando Satisfaction
Age: 24
Place: Ahead
2023 Rank: N/A (★ debut)
It is superb what a change of surroundings can do for notoriety. Final 12 months, Banda was taking part in within the Chinese language Tremendous League, away from the highlight. Now, she’s arguably the most effective participant in arguably the most effective league on the planet, and everyone seems to be on discover.
Banda’s transfer to the Orlando Satisfaction earlier this 12 months marked the second-highest girls’s switch ($740,000) behind Zambia teammate Racheal Kundananji, whose transfer to Bay FC just a few weeks earlier set the brand new mark. And he or she instantly took the NWSL by storm, tallying 12 targets and 5 assists in her first 11 begins.
For her nation, Banda recorded back-to-back hat tips for Zambia on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, then adopted it up with one other hat trick on the Olympics this summer season. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Banda has scored the second-most targets within the NWSL in 2024 with 13.
Nation: United States
Membership: San Diego Wave
Age: 24
Place: Middle again
2023 Rank: 21 (▲ 19)
USWNT head coach Hayes referred to as Girma “the most effective defender I’ve ever seen” halfway by means of the staff’s run to an Olympic gold medal final summer season. Hayes’ evaluation is as certified as anybody on the planet — and astute observers had already stated as a lot. Girma is the most effective defender on the planet proper now, full cease.
She is the entire package deal as a middle again. A cerebral defender who appears to at all times be in the suitable place, very like USWNT nice Becky Sauerbrunn in her prime, Girma additionally boasts superior athleticism to enrich her imaginative and prescient, and her distribution out of the again is an underrated a part of the USWNT’s success — particularly how Hayes likes to play.
Defenders not often are acknowledged this excessive up the listing of finest gamers on the planet, as a result of purpose scorers sometimes at all times declare extra consideration. Girma, nevertheless, is a generational expertise. At 24, she ought to nonetheless have a number of major-tournament cycles forward of her. She is already getting alternatives to put on the captain’s armband for the USWNT. Her adjustment to the skilled and worldwide ranges straight out of faculty was outstanding; Girma was an MVP finalist as a rookie. — Kassouf
Stat to know: Girma is tied for fifth-most pictures blocked within the NWSL in 2024 with 22.
1:12
Bonmatí dismisses Messi comparisons after second Ballon d’Or with Barcelona
Aitana Bonmatí reacts to successful the ladies’s Ballon d’Or for a second consecutive 12 months.
Nation: Spain
Membership: Barcelona
Age: 26
Place: Central midfielder
2023 Rank: 1 (⇔ unchanged)
For the second season operating, Bonmatí tops the listing after one other trophy-filled season with Barcelona, being voted at No. 1 by half of our voting panel. She helped Barça win the quadruple for the primary time within the membership’s historical past — LaLiga, the UEFA Girls’s Champions League, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa — and once more delivered within the large video games for membership and nation.
She scored within the Champions League semifinal comeback win in opposition to Chelsea and within the last in opposition to Lyon, when she was chosen participant of the match as Barça received the competitors for the second successive 12 months. She additionally netted within the inaugural last of the UEFA Girls’s Nations League as world champions Spain beat France.
Bonmatí stays distinctive as a midfielder who can dictate play but additionally delivers within the last third. In 41 appearances final season, she netted 19 targets and arrange 17 extra and, as she picked up her second Ballon d’Or in late October, she stated: “What drives me to be right here is the successful mentality that we have now as a staff and a nationwide staff, it is what leads you to those successes.” — Marsden
Stat to know: Bonmatí leads the Champions League in purpose contributions since 2016-17 — she has 31 (16 targets, 15 assists).
